The Game Awards for 2021 is now, officially, over. There were plenty of game announcements across the board.
However, the big part of the show was the Game of the Year ceremony.
And, here at ABG, we are proud to reveal the Categories, Nominees, and Winners in their full – it saves you having to traipse through it all.
So, sit back, grab a cold/hot/tepid drink of choice, and get ready to get annoyed that your favourite game wasn’t the best that 2021 had to offer;
Game of the Year
“Recognising a game that delivers the absolute best experience across all creative and technical fields”.
Nominees;
- Deathloop (Bethesda/Arkane Lyon)
- It Takes Two (EA/Hazelight Studio)
- Metroid Dread (Nintendo/Mercurysteam)
- Psychonauts 2 (Xbox Game Studios/DoubleFine)
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Sony Interactive Entertainment/Insomniac Games)
- Resident Evil Village (Capcom)
Winner: It Takes Two
Best Game Direction
“Awarded for outstanding creative vision and innovation in game direction and design”.
Nominees;
- Deathloop (Bethesda/Arkane Lyon)
- It Takes Two (EA/Hazelight Studio)
- Returnal (Sony Interactive Entertainment/Housemarque)
- Psychonauts 2 (Xbox Game Studios/DoubleFine)
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Sony Interactive Entertainment/Insomniac Games)
Winner: Deathloop
Best Narrative
“For outstanding storytelling and narrative development in a game”.
Nominees;
- Deathloop (Bethesda/Arkane Lyon)
- It Takes Two (EA/Hazelight Studio)
- Life is Strange: True Colors (Square Enix/Deck Nine)
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (Square Enix/Eidos Montreal)
- Psychonauts 2 (Xbox Game Studios/DoubleFine)
Winner: Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
Best Art Direction
“For outstanding creative and/or technical achievement in artistic design and animation”.
Nominees;
- The Artful Escape (Annapurna/Beethoven & Dinosaur)
- Deathloop (Bethesda/Arkane Lyon)
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Ember Lab)
- Psychonauts 2 (Xbox Game Studios/DoubleFine)
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Sony Interactive Entertainment/Insomniac Games)
Winner: Deathloop
Best Score and Music
“For outstanding music, inclusive of score, original song and/or licensed soundtrack”.
Nominees;
- The Artful Escape – Johny Galvatron, Josh Abrahams
- Cyberpunk 2077 – Marcin Przybylowicz, Piotr T Adamczyk, Paul Leonard-Morgan
- Deathloop – Tom Salta
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy – Richard Jacques
- Nier Replicant Ver. 1.22474487139… – Keiichi Okabe
Winner: Nier Replicant Ver. 1.22474487139…
Best Audio Design
“Recognising the best in-game audio and sound design”.
Nominees;
- Deathloop (Bethesda/Arkane Lyon)
- Forza Horizon 5 (Xbox Game Studios/Playground Games)
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Sony Interactive Entertainment/Insomniac Games)
- Resident Evil Village (Capcom)
- Returnal (Sony Interactive Entertainment/Housemarque)
Winner: Forza Horizon 5
Best Performance
“Awarded to an individual for voice-over acting, motion and/or performance capture”.
Nominees;
- Erika Mori as Alex Chen, Life is Strange: True Colors
- Giancarlo Esposito as Anton Castillo, Far Cry 6
- Jason Kelley as Colt Vahn, Deathloop
- Maggie Robertson as Lady Dimitrescu, Resident Evil Village
- Ozioma Akagha as Julianna Blake, Deathloop
Winner; Maggie Robertson
Games For Impact
“For a thought-provoking game with a pro-social meaning or message”.
Nominees;
- Before Your Eyes (Skybound Games/GoodbyeWorld Games)
- Boyfriend Dungeon (Kitfox Games)
- Chicory: A Colorful Tale (Finji/A Shell in the Pit, Greg Lobanow, Alexis Dean-Jones, Lena Raine, Madeline Berger)
- Life is Strange: True Colors (Square Enix/Deck Nine)
- No Longer Home (Fellow Traveller/Humble Grove, Hana Lee, Cel Davison, Adrienne Lombardo, Eli Rainsberry)
Winner: Life is Strange: True Colors
Best Ongoing
“Awarded to a game for outstanding development of ongoing content that evolves the player experience over time”.
Nominees;
- Apex Legends (EA/Respawn)
- Final Fantasy XIV Online (Square Enix)
- Fortnite (Epic Games)
- Genshin Impact (MiHoYo)
- Call of Duty: Warzone (Activision/Infinity Ward, Raven)
Winner: Final Fantasy XIV Online
Best Indie
“For outstanding creative and technical achievement in a game made outside the traditional publisher system”.
Nominees;
- 12 Minutes (Annapurna/Luis Antonio)
- Death’s Door (Devolver Digital/Acid Nerve)
- Inscryption (Devolver Digital/Daniel Mullins Games)
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Ember Lab)
- Loop Hero (Devolver Digital/Four Quarters)
Winner: Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Best Mobile Game
“For the best game playable on a mobile device”.
Nominees;
- Fantasian (Mistwalker)
- Genshin Impact (MiHoYo)
- League of Legends: Wild Rift (Riot Games)
- Marvel Future Revolution (Netmarble)
- Pokémon Unite (The Pokémon Company/Timi Studio Group)
Winner: Genshin Impact
Best Community Support
“Recognising a game for outstanding community support, transparency and responsiveness, inclusive of social media activity and game updates/patches”.
Nominees;
- Apex Legends (EA/Respawn)
- Destiny 2 (Bungie)
- Final Fantasy XIV Online (Square Enix)
- Fortnite (Epic Games)
- No Man’s Sky (Hello Games)
Winner: Final Fantasy XIV Online
Innovation in Accessibility
“Recognising software and/or hardware that is pushing the medium forward by adding features, technology and content to help games be played and enjoyed by an even wider audience”.
Nominees;
- Far Cry 6 (Ubisoft/Ubisoft Toronto)
- Forza Horizon 5 (Xbox Game Studios/Playground Games)
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (Square Enix/Eidos Montreal)
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Sony Interactive Entertainment/Insomniac Games)
- The Vale: Shadow of the Crown (Falling Squirrel/Creative Bytes Studios)
Winner: Forza Horizon 5
Best VR/AR
“For the best game experience playable in virtual or augmented reality, irrespective of platform”.
Nominees;
- Hitman 3 (IO Interactive)
- I Expect You to Die 2 (Schell Games)
- Lone Echo II (Oculus Studios/Ready at Dawn)
- Resident Evil 4 (Capcom, Oculus Studios/Armature Studio)
- Sniper Elite VR (Rebellion Developments/Coatsink, Just Add Water)
Winner: Resident Evil 4
Best Action Game
“For the best game in the action genre-focused primarily on combat”.
Nominees;
- Back 4 Blood (WB Games/Turtle Rock)
- Chivalry II (Tripwire Interactive/Torn Banner Studios)
- Deathloop (Bethesda/Arkane Lyon)
- Far Cry 6 (Ubisoft/Ubisoft Toronto)
- Returnal (Sony Interactive Entertainment/Housemarque)
Winner: Returnal
Best Action Game
“For the best action/adventure game, combining combat with traversal and puzzle-solving”.
Nominees;
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (Square Enix/Eidos Montreal)
- Metroid Dread (Nintendo/Mercurysteam)
- Psychonauts 2 (Xbox Game Studios/DoubleFine)
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Sony Interactive Entertainment/Insomniac Games)
- Resident Evil Village (Capcom)
Winner: Metroid Dread
Best Role Playing
“For the best game designed with rich player character customisation and progression, including massively multiplayer experiences”.
Nominees;
- Cyberpunk 2077 (CD Projekt Red)
- Monster Hunter Rise (Capcom)
- Scarlet Nexus (Bandai Namco)
- Shin Megami Tensei V (SEGA/Atlus)
- Tales of Arise (Bandai Namco)
Winner: Tales of Arise
Best Fighting
“For the best game designed primarily around head-to-head combat”.
Nominees;
- Demon Slayer – Kimetsu No Yaiba: The Hinokami Chronicles (SEGA, Aniplex/CyberConnect2)
- Guilty Gear -Strive- (Arcsystemworks)
- Melty Blood: Type Lumina (Delightworks/French-Bread)
- Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl (GameMill Entertainment/Ludosity, Fair Play Labs)
- Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown (SEGA)
Winner: Guilty Gear -Strive-
Best Family
“For the best game appropriate for family play, irrespective of genre or platform”.
Nominees;
- It Takes Two (EA/Hazelight Studios)
- Mario Party Superstars (Nintendo/NDcube)
- New Pokémon Snap (Nintendo, The Pokémon Company/Bandai Namco)
- Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury (Nintendo)
- Warioware: Get it Together! (Nintendo/Intelligent Systems)
Winner: It Takes Two
Best Simulator/Strategy
“Best game focused on real-time or turn-based simulation or strategy gameplay, irrespective of platform”.
Nominees;
- Age of Empires IV (Xbox Game Studios/Relic Entertainment)
- Evil Genius 2: World Domination (Rebellion Development)
- Humankind (SEGA/Amplitude Studios)
- Inscryption (Devolver Digital/Daniel Mullins Games)
- Microsoft Flight Simulator (Xbox Game Studios/Asobo Studio)
Winner: Age of Empires IV
Best Sports/Racing
“For the best traditional and non-traditional sports and racing game”.
Nominees;
- F1 2020 (EA Sports/Codemasters)
- FIFA 22 (EA Sports/EA Romania, EA Vancouver)
- Forza Horizon 5 (Xbox Game Studios/Playground Games)
- Hot Wheels Unleashed (Milestone)
- Riders Republic (Ubisoft/Ubisoft Annecy)
Winner: Forza Horizon 5
Best Multiplayer
“For outstanding online multiplayer gameplay and design, including co-op and massively multiplayer experiences, irrespective of game genre or platform”.
Nominees;
- Back 4 Blood (WB Games/Turtle Rock)
- Knockout City (EA/Velan)
- It Takes Two (EA/Hazelight)
- Monster Hunter Rise (Capcom)
- New World (Amazon Games)
- Valheim (Coffee Stain/Iron Gate Studio)
Winner: It Takes Two
Best Debut Indie
“For the best debut game created by a new independent studio”.
Nominees;
- The Artful Escape (Annapurna/Beethoven & Dinosaur)
- The Forgotten City (Dear Villagers/Modern Storyteller)
- Kena: Bridge of Spirits (Ember Lab)
- Sable (Raw Fury/Shedworks)
- Valheim (Coffee Stain/Iron Gate Studio)
Winner: Kena: Bridge of Spirits
Most Anticipated Game
“Recognising an announced game that has demonstrably illustrated potential to push the gaming medium forward”.
Nominees;
- Elden Ring (Bandai Namco/FromSoftware)
- God of War Ragnarök (Sony Interactive Entertainment/Sony Santa Monica)
- Horizon Forbidden West (Sony Interactive Entertainment/Guerrilla)
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel (Nintendo)
- Starfield (Bethesda)
Winner: Elden Ring
Best Esports Game
For the game that has delivered the best overall esports experience to players (inclusive of tournaments, community support and content updates), irrespective of genre or platform”.
Nominees;
- Call of Duty (Activision)
- Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (Valve)
- Dota 2 (Valve)
- League of Legends (Riot Games)
- Valorant (Riot Games)
Winner: League of Legends
And that wraps up our coverage of the Game Awards 2021. What did you think of the event? Are you pleased about the outcome of these categories? Maybe you’re a little disappointed? Whatever you’re feeling, be sure to sound off in the comments down below.
ABG’s Senior Editor (News), YouTube content creator/streamer.